Naval Warfare

A whole new segment of Gameplay, Naval Warfare, will let you sail your own ship and go into battle with other ships in Assassin's Creed III. The development team also wants to recreate historic naval battles for Connor to partake in, such as the Battle of Chesapeake.

Weather

Weather will play an important part in naval battles. The game features a dynamic weather system, so the seas will range from peaceful and calm to a raging storm. The weather and wind will affect how you need to control your ship. Enemies can get hidden behind big waves or curtains of rain, they can also use fog to hide and sneak up on you. Waves also will affect how you attack enemies. Depending on how large the wave is, and where it is in relation to Connor's boat, a cannonball could end up in a completely different direction than where it was aimed, so plan accordingly. Some waves will also come towards you and do damage to your ship if you do not avoid it in time. To avoid press the same button used to avoid enemy fire. You will be warned if a wave is coming towards you.

Upgrades

Connor will be able to upgrade his own ship (The Aquila) by adding cannons to the ship or improving the ship as a whole such as improved defenses.

Ship Upgrades

Effect

Price

Wooden Hull Reinforcements

More Ship Health

Iron Hull Reinforcements

More Ship Health

Extra Cannon

Stronger Broadside Cannon Attacks

Heat Shot

Ammo Type

Grape Shot

Ammo Type

Improved Rudder

Better Ship Steering

Piercing Round

Stronger Swivel Cannon Attacks

Naval Ram

Stronger Damage from Ramming

Arsenal

To destroy other ships, you can use either your swivel cannons or your broadside cannons, or you can forego both options and just ram the enemy ship. There are a total of four broadside cannonball types and are each mapped to a corresponding direction on the d-pad to allow quick switching. Round shots and Chain shots are provided from the start, Grape shot and Heat shot must be purchased.

Boarding ships is limited to specific missions where the objective specifies a ship must be boarded. To board a ship, you must first destroy their mast with Chain shots and then ram them. After boarding you will be tasked with eliminating the captain of the ship to end the mission.

Cannons

There are several different types of cannons and ammo available.

Cannonball

Use

Round shot

Default broadside cannonball type.

Swivel shot

Accurate shot effective even from long range. Use on small ships and large ships with weak points exposed. Unlike the other cannon types, they can be fired from any angle.

Chain shot

Destroys a ship's mast which will slow them down or make them stop moving completely. Necessary for boarding.

Grape shot

Large spread shot. Most effective way of destroying small ships. Practically useless against large ships.

Heat Shot

Most powerful cannonball. Extremely effective against large ships.

Combat

Ubisoft wants the game to have varied combat, so several different type of naval missions have already been announced. These include attacking forts, navigating through enemy mine fields, and boarding other ships to assassinate Templars.